Psalms 86 Footnotes

86:16 In this Davidic psalm, the worshiper speaks of himself as “the son of your female servant,” traditionally, “handmaid” (116:16). Since the speaker was the king, the reference was to the “queen mother” who evidently could exercise considerable influence in the Judean and Israelite courts (1Kg 2:19; 2Ch 22:3). The records of the reigns of David’s descendants on the throne of Judah usually mention the name of the king’s mother (e.g., 1Kg 14:31; 15:10; 22:42). Roman Catholic theologians sometimes point to these facts in support of the attention paid to the mother of Jesus, the Messiah, who also calls herself “the Lord’s slave” (Lk 1:38), or handmaid.